Raspberry Software has announced software aimed at integrating phones and PCs that run Microsoft operating systems. "True Connect" lets users control their Windows Mobile phone from their Windows-based PC, while managing text SMS messages with Outlook.
Many solutions exist for viewing Windows Mobile phone screens on a desktop PC, including Logmein Rescue Mobile and PocketVNC, the latter an implementation of the popular open-source Virtual Network Computing (VNC) protocol. These products, however, primarily target remote operation of a device, whereas Raspberry's True Connect is aimed at operating the device locally as if it were a secondary display.
To control a phone from a Windows PC, a user installs True Connect software on the desktop, then connects the Windows Mobile device via USB or Bluetooth. True Connect requires no software installation on a phone, the company adds, because it leverages Microsoft's ActiveSync software, the standard Windows Mobile component that is normally used merely to move files to and from a desktop computer.
Once a connection has been made, the phone acts much like a second monitor. To control it, a user simply moves the mouse pointer off the main monitor's lower right side, and onto the Windows Mobile device, where it appears on-screen. From that point, the mouse can be used to control the phone's home screen, menus, and other functions, which continue to operate normally. This works whether or not the phone is a touchscreen device, since True Connect "knows" where the pointer is and sends the appropriate commands regardless, Raspberry claims.
The PC's keyboard can be used to enter data on the phone, and information can be cut, copied, and pasted back and forth between devices. Capturing Windows Mobile screens to the desktop PC is also possible, and the PC's right mouse button is intelligently mapped to provide a variety of context-sensitive functions on the phone, according to the company.
True Connect can display a Windows Mobile device on a PC's screen
In addition to controlling a connected Windows Mobile device, True Connect can optionally mirror its screen to a PC's display (shown above), providing 100 percent, 200 percent, or fullscreen views. This makes the application useful for presenting phone-based applications to several people at once, or acting as a replacement for a potentially troublesome Windows Mobile emulator, Raspberry suggests.
Finally, True Connect integrates phone-based SMS text messages with Microsoft Outlook. Once the program has been installed, a "True Connect" folder appears in Outlook, allowing the user to view, reply to, create, and delete SMS messages as if they were normal email. Text messages can also be created on the PC when a phone is not present, and will then be downloaded to it and sent upon connection, Raspberry says.
This video demonstrates True Connect in operation Source: Raspberry Software (click to play)
Availability
True Connect is available now for approximately $30, and requires a Windows XP, 2000, or Vista PC. A 14-day free trial version of the application can be downloaded from the company's website, here.
